Smyrna times., 1887-09-28
SMYRNA DEL. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON sEPTEGBER 28 1881
London as Seen at Night.

The London correspondent of the
New York San recently paid an early
morning visit to Trafalgar Square the
great place for the gathering of crowds
both orderly and disorderly. The
correspondent gives a graphic descrip-
ton of what he saw and says: at was
bleak night, with thin, cold rain driz-
zling down at intervals, and the air
was full of dampness. At distance
the huge square, all paved with stone
and i'll lighted, appeared deserted, but
everything changed on nearer acquain-
lance, and it became evident that from
his majestic column shooting high up
INTO the air the one-armed figure of
Nelson looked down upon huge en-
campment of degradation, filth, and
poverty. Not less than thousand
miserable human beings were crowded
together on the damp stones of the
square. A dozen or twenty men,
clinging, it seemed, to cleanliness in
their poverty, were gathered around
the edge of the big fountains, washing
themselves or their belongings. One
man, rather old, stood naked to the
waist washing his shirt. When left
he was still naked, alternately wiring
ing his shirt and hanging it up to dry.
trying all sorts of devices to protect it
from the misty rain. A young man,
having stripped himself naked, was
taking complete bath, but prudence
wise in such company, kept him ever
close to the edge of his stone tub. with
his scanty raiment held firmly in his
grasp. Those who INDUCED in foot
baths were many. It was
not a pretty sight. Those ON the
benches, however, were the lucky ones.
the aristocrats of the dormitOry. A
larger number were stretched out on
the damp stones, with the heads upon
a rolled garment, newspaper, or rest
ing simply on the sleeper's arm. A
sadly large number were women.
especially among those least comforta-
bly, placed. The majority were rather
under middle age, some barely 90, with
miserable rags, matted hair, bad faces.
and every sign of degradation. There
was one striking exception noticed by
me to the general rule of evident de-
basement among the women. 1t was
That OF pale, thin creature, shocking.
ly clad, lying upon her back on the
Stones, apparently asleep, and holding
IN her arms baby thinner and paler.
and wrapped in shawl that the moth
er sadly needed for herself. Luckily.
the child was not doomed to pass the
night there, for two men whom
noticed walking about among the
women awOke the mother, and, after a
lew moments of querulous expostula-
lions on her part, carried it off. These
men have been engaged for nights
past-emPlOyed, l believe, by some
charity--tO gather up the very young
children to whom such exposure might
mean speedy death. The men went
away with that baby and two others
which they had gathered up and
drove off in q van. After thew had
gone the mother wrapped herself in
her shawl, which they had left, but
did not lie down or go to sleep again.
She still sat rocking herself backward
and forward when 1 last saw herr
England has time and again of late
years heard the ominous roar of the
men out of work, and the threats as
well of the Socialists and Anarchists
who keep alive the fire of unrest bv
just such fuel as the Sun correspondent
describes in his letter. There have
been critical times among the poor of
London, but the hardships expected
this winter will eclipse them all. With
the Irish question and the starving
ones at home England will have her
hands full.